The All About Eve poster that hung in my college dorm room, in it's current place of honor next to the toasting flutes from our wedding.
It’s a question I’ve grown to dread. I’m never ready for it. No matter how long I’ve been at this gig, no matter how many times I’ve been left feeling like a philistine deer in judge-y headlights, the question catches me so off guard:
What are your top five favorite movies of all time?
When you come up as a lackey in the film industry, it’s standard interview fodder for the first several years of your career. Back in ’03 when I was taking the mailroom tour of Beverly Hills, I had a well-rehearsed answer with films that weren’t necessarily my five favorites, but that I was pretty sure would make me look smart and cultured (“I really love the abstract symbolism in Un Chien Andalou…”) Because no one ever sees through that approach.
But I’m not a young lackey any more. I’m a nasty, jaded life-hater now, and I don’t give a crap what you think my top five favorite movies say about me. So to kick off A Month of Movies — or MOM as I’m about to affectionately start calling it — I’m going to tackle the tough questions and let my iffy taste flap out there in the wind for all to see. I’m also totally kidding about not caring what you think. Please love me, okay?
{Note: For the month of February, I’m hosting a MONTH OF MOVIES on BlogHer. If you love movies like I do, you should come visit me over there and join in the fun. Where FUN = you write your own post about a favorite movie/director/actor/genre/anything related to movies at ALL and then send me an email and I feature it as part of the series! See, fun, right?!}
Here they are, in order of awesomeness:
This one’s a no brainer. The 1950 Best Picture Oscar Winner has topped my list since high school. Bette Davis as Margot Channing is one of the baddest-ass performances of all time. “Fasten your seatbelts…it’s going to be a bumpy night.” Also, it’s making it’s blu-ray debut TODAY.
I’m limiting myself to a single John Hughes movie for the purposes of this list, because I could easily use up every slot and then some with the late director’s generation-defining body of work. Despite having very strong feelings for Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club will always have a special place in my heart as the first Brat Pack flick I ever saw. Thanks to my then-12-year-old older sister for introducing me to everything cool.
It’s one of the greatest movies ever made. Yes it is, and you know it. If you haven’t seen it, I hope you weren’t born in the 80s, because if you were, you should be ashamed of yourself. I’m sticking to my one film per director rule on this one too, and giving When Harry Met Sally honorable mention for being the greatest romantic comedy of all time.
“Shatthafaahkaap.” This movie rules. It rules all over the place, and Keyser Soze will forever hold his place in the Pop Culture vernacular. Brilliant cast, brilliant director, brilliant pretty much everything.
This movie just ousted Heathers as a top fiver when I caught the premiere at Sundance last week. Based on the Oliver Sacks case study “The Last Hippie,” it was somewhere between the music of Bing Crosby and The Grateful Dead that I had to stop worrying about how crazy I looked to the people behind me, and just give over to the full-body sobs this bittersweet love story between Father and Son brought over me.
So that’s it. My real official top five all time favorites (okay eight, and I’m going to go ahead and mention 12 Monkeysand Cry Baby too, because I’m a full blown film geek and I can’t control myself).
So now you go. What are YOUR top five favorite movies of all time?
6 Replies to “Official Top Five Favorite Movies of ALL TIME.”